James w



L W. McSHERRY.

CUNTROLUNG APPARATUS FOR ELEVAIORS AND OTHER DEVICES. APmcArrou FILED m2. 15.1919.

1,309,648. Patented July 15, 1919.

JAMES W. MOSHERRY, OF DUQUOIN, ILLINOIS.

CONTROLLING APPARATUS FOR ELEVATORS AND OTHER DEVICES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 15, 1919.

Application filed February 15, 1919. Serial no. 277.275.

7b all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Janus W. MCSHERRY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Duquoin, Illinois, haveinvented a certain new and useful Improvement in Controlling A paratus for Elevators and other Devices, of which the following is a full, clear, and

exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to the eager" to signal notify the engineer mine "that: the

cage. Moreover, when a make and use the same. 0

This invention relates to devices of the character that are used for controlling the operation of elevators and various other mechanisms.

It is now the usual practice in coal mines to provide a. signal for enabling the eager or operative in the mine who places the mine cars on the elevator cage to notify the engineer in charge of when the cage is ready to be raised. When I. pneumatically operated signal is used it is the general practice for the eager 1n the to operate the signal before the mine mmcompletely onto the cage. If, for any reason, the eager is unable to arrange the mine car in proper position on the ca before the engineer starts the hoistin mec amsm, oonslerable damage to the s aft of the mine and to the elevator cage is sure to result, as there is not sutiicient time to enable the engineer again or that the ca e is not in be raised. When it is desired to miners instead of coal the eager operates the sign usually consistlng of a bell; e engineer replies with one hell so as to notify the eager en eer has received the signal and the eager tEiiii permits the waiting miners to get on the ca When the miners are all on the cage t5: eager gives the engineer a signal .ofcne bell as to notify the engineertli'at the cage is ready to be raised. Unless the engineer pays strict attention tothe signalahe is apt to become confused and start the hoisting mechanism before all of the waiting minershavebeen loaded on the pneumatically o .erated bell is used there is danger of the ear in the tube backing up and causing the bell to accidentally, thus 'vi the engineei false signal to hoist st tli e time when the miners are'getting onto the cage. Accidents "of the character referred to frequentlm, "occur in coal mines and add con- 81 y to the cost of operating the mine,

the hoisting mechanism L 2.] three times, the signal.'

tion arises, after he has signaled due to the loss in production while the shaft is out of commission, and the cost of repairing the shaft timbers and the cage, and in some instances, the hoisting cable. Furthermore, such accidents often result in serious injury or death to the mine operatives. In other lines of work where an engineer or operative is employed to start and stop an apparatus upon receiving signals from a workman located at some distance from the apparatus, accidents frequently occur, due to premature startin of the apparatus by the engineer or fai ure to stop the apparatus after some unusual condition arises, unknown to the engineer, which requires that the apparatus be stopped immediately to avoid an accident.

e .main object of my invention, therefore, is to provide means by which an operative located at some distance from an apparatus or mechanism in charge of an engineer or other workman, can stop said apparatus or mechanism at will and independently of said engineer, thereby eliminating the possibility of accidents in instances where there is not suflicient time for the workman located at the distant point to sigfal the engineer to stop the apparatus.

e specific object of my invention is to rovide a mine that is equipped with means y which the eager in the mine who places the mine cars on the cage can stop the hoisting mechanism l the elevator or prevent said hoistin mechanism from ing rendered operative in the event that some condithe engineer to raise the cage, that would result in an accident if the cage were allowed toascend.

arious means can be used for accom lishing the-results above referred to without departing from the spirit of my invention, but when my invention is embodied in an elevator controlling apparatus for mines, as hereinlshown, I prefer to use a means under control bfthe eager in themine for closi the throttle valve of the engihethat operates or; for operating a winding drum. In

matic view. illustrating my invention em bodied in a mine.

Referring to the drawings. A designates the openin of a mine through which the material is ta ten out of the mine, said opening either consisting of a shaft or slope. B the elevator cage that travels in said opening. C the drum of the hoisting mechanism on which the cable D of the cage is wound. and E a controlling device that governs the throttle valve of the engine (not shown). which operates the hoisting mechanism and which is normally under the control of an engineer. The hoistin drum is equipped with a hand brake F fiiat can be operated eithei by a foot treadle G or by means of steam pressure that is admitted to a cylinder H whose piston is provided with a device 1 that actson the treadle G and applies the brake F when said piston moves downwardly. the supply of steam to the cylinder H being controlled by a valve I. The parts above referred to are of well known construction and form part of the usual equipment of many coal mines.

In the form of my invention hereinshown an electric magnet or other suitable device J is employed for causing the throttle valve of the hoisting engine to close and for causing the brake F to be applied whenever an electri switch K in the mine is operated. The iron block J acted on by said magnet is pivotally mounted and is provided with an arm 3 that is connected by a system of links I with an arm .3 on the stem of the valve I that governs the admission of steam to the cylinder H. The controlling device E for the throttle valve of the hoisting engine is operatively connected with a piston arranged in a steam cylinder L to which steam is admitted by a pipe 6 that is tapped into the steam supply pipe T in which the valve I arranged. 'henever the magnet J is energized the valve I will ,open. and thus admit steam to the cylinders H and L, thereby cans-in the brake F to be applied and the controlling device E to move in the direction to close the throttle valve of the hoistin engine. Any suitable kind of switch Ii can be used for governing the electric circuit 8 that EIIBIO'IZGS the magnet J, but I prefer to use a 'nife switch whose handl is provided with a relatively large plate 9 of insulating material so as to enable the cager to close the switch by simply striking said plate a blow.

If the eager signals the engineer to hoist and then runs the mine car 2 onto the cage B, as is the usual practice in coal mines. and if the dogs 10 on the cage that control the position of the mine car fail to operate. due to being jammed by coal lying on the track. the min car is apt to assume such a position on the cage that it will strike against the top of the drift when the cage move upwardly. The engineer -tarts lllo hoi ting mechanism as soon as he receives the hoi t ng ignal and the cage tartto move upwardly. but as mut as the cutter notices that the mine car is in an improper I)O ltlUlI on the cage. he closes the witch K. The cage immediately stops. due to the Clo ing of the throttle valve of the hoisting engine and the application of the brake l" to the hoi ting drum thereby preventing Ill accident that would l'tHlli in injurv to the haft. cage and mine car. and l)U.- 'll)l to the cagcr. From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention materially reduce the liability of accidents in mine due to raising the cage at the wrong time. for the eager in the mine can render he hoi ting nnrchani m inoperativ after he has ignaled the cngi new to llOl-t or can top the hoisting mechanism in case the cage ha started to a cend. by imply clo ing the switch K. Any other uitable mean than the one herein shown could be employed for v topping the hoisting mechanism or rendering it inoperative and variou other mean than an electrically actuated device could be employed for operating or governing the O1)tlilll.|l\ of the mean that stop the hoisting mechanism or renders it inoperative. Therefore. I wi h it to he understood that my broad idea is not limited to an apparatus or device of the particular construction herein illu trated. I urthcrmorc. while I have herein illustrated my invention embodied in an elevator controlling apparatus for mines. my broad idea is applicable to many other lines of work where an operative stationed at one point signals an opera tive at a different point in cliarge of an apparatus or mechanism when it desired to have said apparatus start operatin Having thus described my invention. what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a mine. the combination of an elevator cage that travels in the opening of the mine. a hoisting mechanism for said cage. a governing means for said hoisting mechanism adapted to be controlled by an engineer stationed outside of the mine opening. and means whereby an operative stationed in the mine can sto the elevator cage at will independently 0 said engineer.

2. In a mine. the combination of an elevator cage that travels in the npenin of the mine. a hoisting mechanism for 'sai cage com arising a controlling device and a braking (evice adapted to be 0)91't'lt(l by an engineer stationed outside 0 the mine opening. an electrically-actuated means arranged in proximity to said hoisting mechanism for rendering said controlling device inoperative and said braking device operative. and means under control of an operative stationed in the mine for energizing said electrically-actuated means so as to stop the elevator cage independently of said engineer.

3. In an elevator controlling apparatus for mines. an elevator cage. a hoisting mechanism for said cage comprising a drum and a throttle controlling member, a brake for said drum. devices for applying said hralte and for actuating said throttle controlling member, and means under control of an operative stationed in the mine for rendering said devices operative so as to stop the elevator cage independently of the engineer in charge of the hoisting mechanism.

4. In an elevator controlling apparatus for mines, an elevator cage, a hoisting mech anism for said cage comprising a drum and a throttle controlling device, a hrake for said drum. steam operated devices for applying said lHzllfl and for actuating said throttle controlling device, a valve for admitting steam to said steam operated devices and means under control of an operative in the mine l'oropcning said valve.

5. In an elevator controlling apparatus for mines. the comhination of an elevator cage. a hoisting drum. a throttle controlling device for governing the means that actuates the drum. a brake for said drum. a )ressure operated device for appl vim said ln'ake. a pressure operated device for moving said throttle closing device in a direction to stop the hoisting mechanism. a valve for admitting a. medium under pre sure to both of said pressure operated devices. an electric magnet for opening said valve. and an electric switch arranged in the mine in proximity to the place where the ele-\ator cage is loaded for controlling the circuit that energizes said magnet.

.I.\'.\ins w. McS'HlCItItY. 

